The Titans were interested in bringing Smith back to Nashville, but Smith is happy in Seattle.

Smith is a former Titans assistant who coached the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, Eddie George. Smith just finished his third season with the Seahawks. Smith played for the Seahawks from 1976-82.

The Titans have an opening at running backs coach after Munchak opted not to renew running backs coach Jim Skipper’s contract.

He’d like to see the Titans hire the man who coached him that season: Earnest Byner.

“I wish we’d bring back Earnest,” Johnson said. “We had a lot of success with Earnest. I think that would be great.”

Byner is currently running backs coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was an assistant with the Titans during Johnson’s first two years in the NFL (2008-09). In 2009, Johnson became the sixth running back in NFL history to topple 2,000 yards.

Former Titans coach Jeff Fisher relieved Byner of his duties after the ’09 season, however, and the position has changed hands several times since.

Kennedy Pola held the job for a few months in 2010 before leaving for Southern Cal, and Craig Johnson was moved from quarterbacks coach to running backs coach that season. Jim Skipper was fired just over a week ago after coaching running backs in 2011 and 2012.

Yet prying Smith, a former Titans assistant who coached franchise all-time leading rusher Eddie George, away from the Seattle Seahawks might not be easy.

Smith is in his third season with the Seahawks, who will play the Falcons in an NFC divisional playoff game on Sunday. He has a top-notch running back in Marshawn Lynch and plenty of familiarly in Seattle, where he enjoyed his success as an NFL player.

But coach Mike Munchak would like to bring him back to Nashville, where the two were assistants on then-coach Jeff Fisher’s staff. The Titans have an opening after Munchak opted not to renew running backs coach Jim Skipper’s contract last week.

Smith, who spent two seasons with the Redskins (2008-09) after 13 seasons with the Titans, would be a great influence for running back Chris Johnson. He’d bring a unique energy to the field and the meeting room.

He’s got a pretty good situation in Seattle, though, so it’s going to take one heck of a sales pitch from Munchak.

Following last week’s firing of defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil and Jim Washburn’s decision to leave and take over as defensive line coach with the Eagles, Fisher has some work to do there.

Sherman Smith with the Titans in 2002. (File)

But he also has an opening at running backs coach, and I know the perfect guy: Sherman Smith.

Smith, a former Titans assistant, would be a great replacement for Craig Johnson, who left to take a job with the Vikings. And you can bet the Titans are interested in Smith, who spent 13 seasons with the organization before leaving to take over as offensive coordinator with the Redskins in 2008.

In his first stint with the Titans, Smith helped greatly with Eddie George’s development and was very well respected at Baptist Sports Park. And while Johnson stepped in admirably as running backs coach last season when Fisher needed him, it’s no secret his strength is with quarterbacks.

I expect the Titans to inquire about Smith, who could also assist offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger if needed. But there’s no guarantee the Seahawks would allow Smith to leave, and the finances of bringing Smith back to the Titans might not be so simple either.